Drug Vending Machines Not Safe

Health experts have warned that using automatic prescription drug vending machine is not safe even as some of the early users of the machine are pleased with the ease with which they can get their medicines in less time. The machines have been fitted at two West Sussex Sainsbury's stores on a trial basis and uses unique ID numbers to distribute the prescription packs. Each customer is given a unique ID number and the prescribed drugs are fed into the machines. The customers can then get their prescription packs by entering their ID number into the machine which can hold up to 450 packs.

Speaking to the BBC, one of the first users of the machines, Roy Swift said that though it was a bit confusing initially, he now gets his prescription medicines from the machine.

However a number of medical professionals are not convinced that getting medicines from a machine is safe. Says Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association GP Committee, “Giving out medicine is not just box-shifting. The patient doesn't know if there are any questions that need to be asked or answers. The pharmacist hasn't met them so doesn't know either."


Source-Medindia